The IATA Thursday said that since the start of 2020 there had been only 44 cases of COVID-19 reported in which transmission is thought to have been associated with a flight journey. Some 1.2b passengers have travelled over the same period. “The risk of a passenger contracting COVID-19 while onboard appears very low. We think these figures are extremely reassuring. Furthermore, the vast majority of published cases occurred before the wearing of face coverings inflight became widespread,” said David Powell, IATA’s Medical Advisor. Aircraft airflow systems, High Efficiency Particulate Air (HEPA) filters, the natural barrier of the seatback, the downward flow of air, and high rates of air exchange efficiently reduce the risk of disease transmission on board in normal times, IATA said. The addition of mask-wearing adds a “further and significant extra layer of protection”, which makes being seated in close proximity in an aircraft cabin safer than most other indoor environments, the industry body said. IATA’s observation is based on a joint publication produced by Airbus, Boeing and Embraer.<br/>
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A global grouping of airport operators have joined airlines in calling for an alternative to quarantine measures for passengers, and thus, hopefully, speed up recovery of air travel. Instead, rigorous pre-testing of passengers ahead of the flights would be the better choice. "A systematic approach to COVID-19 testing will provide an effective way to give governments the confidence to re-open borders without quarantine," the Airports Council International (ACI) World and IATA said in a joint call for a globally consistent approach to testing. The shut down of air transport as a result of COVID-19 travel restrictions has led to nearly 4.8m industry jobs being lost or coming under dire threat. “Airports and airlines are united in the view that a consistent approach to testing passengers will help to restore the confidence of passengers, avoid border closures, and remove cumbersome quarantine measures which are hampering the genuine efforts of the aviation industry to recover,” ACI World Director-General Luis Felipe de Oliveira said. “This will better foster recovery among airports, airlines and the travel and tourism sectors, thereby protecting jobs and providing the economic and social benefits that aviation delivers to the local, national, and global communities it serves.” IATA’s Director-General and CEO Alexandre de Juniac said: “Systematic testing is the key to restoring connectivity. That’s critical because millions of jobs depend aviation. And millions more travelers want and need to reconnect with family, take a hard-earned vacation or support their international business needs. We must learn to live with this disease and that includes safely restoring the freedom to travel. And trials around the world are helping us to demonstrate that we have effective testing technology that can be efficiently integrated into the travel process."<br/>
House Speaker Nancy Pelosi Thursday said there won’t be stand-alone bill for additional airline aid without a larger coronavirus stimulus package, another obstacle to further federal support for the battered sector that has already cut thousands of employees. Pelosi’s comments come two days after President Donald Trump halted talks on a national coronavirus package until after the election but urged additional aid for airlines, a plan that has won bipartisan backing. US carriers last week started furloughing more than 33,000 workers, the vast majority of the cuts at American and United. Terms of the $25b in support Congress approved in the $2.2t CARES Act in March prohibited airlines from furloughing workers until Oct. 1. The funds were meant to help airlines manage a dip in demand but a significant rebound in bookings has failed to materialize. “It’s consistent with what has been going on in this process for quite some time now. That is huge bipartisan support for extension of [payroll support] for the airlines ... but a frustrating process by which we’re trying to get it enacted,” American’s CEO, Doug Parker, said. At the end of her Thursday news conference, Pelosi suggested the White House and Democrats could renew talks toward a broader aid package. “We’re at the table. We want to continue the conversation. We’ve made some progress, we’re exchanging language,” the speaker said. <br/>
The co-chairman of a centrist bipartisan group of US House lawmakers known as the “Problem Solvers”, Representative Josh Gottheimer, said Thursday US airlines should get grants, not loans as part of coronavirus aid. “I think they should get grants, given that we need to keep airlines operating,” Gottheimer, a Democrat, said in a Zoom call with local leaders from his district. Gottheimer also expressed concerns about “piecemeal” legislation just to help the struggling airline sector or others after the Trump administration walked away from talks over a larger COVID-19 stimulus package. “You risk leaving pieces out that need to get done,” Gottheimer said. He urged the Trump administration to return to the negotiating table to discuss a comprehensive package of coronavirus relief. “Please don’t quit on the American people, let’s get this done.”<br/>
Airports and airlines are rushing to offer preflight Covid-19 testing to help passengers avoid 14-day quarantines imposed by certain states and many foreign governments. The goal: to build confidence in travel. Hawaiian Airlines has started offering passengers a $150 at-home saliva test ahead of flights. Passengers self-collect while being watched on a video call and ship the tests overnight. Airports from Oakland, Calif., to Bradley International near Hartford, Conn., are opening testing centers for ticketed passengers. Some offer both the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) swab test, which can take 48 hours to get results, and rapid tests that provide results in 15 minutes but are less accurate. In Alaska, nonresidents who land in Anchorage without negative test results within 72 hours are required to take a $250 test and self-quarantine until negative results are posted. Alaska residents who didn't test before arrival can get tested for free or self-quarantine for 14 days. "We, as an airport, aren't just going to sit around and let this thing take us down. We're going to do everything we can to make this better in some way," says Joe Lopano, CE at Tampa International Airport in Florida. Tampa began offering testing to travelers on Oct. 1. Of the 80 people tested on the first day, one was positive for Covid-19. Passenger testing is seen as a way to limit the spread of Covid-19, but it won't eliminate it. Several Caribbean islands began accepting visitors who had a negative test within 72 hours of arrival, and the number of Covid-19 cases has jumped. The fundamental problem is that someone could get infected after taking the test, and that testing isn't always accurate. Also, the virus may take several days to show up on a test. <br/>
Israel and Jordan reached an agreement on mutual overflight rights that promises to cut travel times on journeys that cross the Middle East. The accord comes after years of talks that were accelerated by recent diplomatic breakthroughs between Israel and Arab Gulf states. It will allow planes from Dubai-based Emirates or Etihad Airways in Abu Dhabi, for example, to fly across Israel and Jordan on their way to Europe, saving time and fuel costs. “UAE and Bahrain airlines, as well as carriers from all over the world, will in the near future be able to begin flying over Israel to destinations in Europe and North America, and back,” Israel’s transport ministry said. The routes are subject to security approvals, and companies from enemy countries won’t receive access, a transport ministry spokeswoman said. Airlines based in the Gulf have historically flown around Israel to reach points west. That’s started to change after the signing of the Abraham Accords between Israel and the United Arab Emirates in September, and after permission was granted for flights between the two countries to travel through Saudi airspace. Jordan, which is sandwiched between Israel and Saudi Arabia, signed a peace agreement with Israel in 1994, though relations have been frosty for the most part. Under the accord, overflights will be permitted on weeknights between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., Ynet news website reported. On weekends, the opening will be extended to 12 hours, with a 24-hour window available during 12 holidays per year.<br/>
Canada aims to capitalize on its more conservative approach to fighting the coronavirus to promote itself as a safe destination for tourists once the pandemic subsides. Since March, Justin Trudeau’s government has kept in place a travel lockdown that bans most foreign visitors and forces anyone coming into Canada to quarantine for 14 days. The virus has devastated the travel industry: Tourism spending in Canada plummeted by 66.3% in Q2 to C$7b. But the rules may have contributed to Canada’s relatively better performance in fighting Covid-19, though cases have been on the rise lately. “What we want to do is really to position Canada as a safe country once this pandemic ends,” Economic Development Minister Melanie Joly said. “I think that can be really our competitive edge because following the pandemic we will need to build trust within the industry in Canada.” American travelers are the No. 1 source of tourists to Canada. US visitors accounted for two thirds of arrivals, or 15m tourists, in 2019, according to Statistics Canada. “Countries will be competing to get their fair share of tourists and so that’s why I think positioning us as a safe country where health of Canadians and visitors is paramount will be key,” Joly said.<br/>
Flights are returning to Brazilian skies, providing a lift for two of the carriers that survived a wave of bankruptcies that upended the Latin American airline industry. Gol Linhas Aereas Inteligentes and Azul -- which together had about three-fourths of the Brazilian domestic market share in July, according to Citigroup -- are seeing demand rebound more quickly than forecast, although it remains well below pre-pandemic levels. Investors are increasingly confident the low-cost carriers can survive a travel downturn that has forced three of the region’s largest airlines into bankruptcy. “The outlook is brighter as the recovery on domestic demand in Brazil has been faster than expected and the fact that Azul and Gol are focused on the local market,” said Josseline Jenssen, a credit analyst at Lucror Analytics. “Cash flow generation should improve with higher sales.” Bonds sold by Gol and Azul have returned 70% and 45%, respectively, since the end of March, compared to -6.5% for the Bloomberg Barclays High Yield Airlines Index. Shares in the companies, meanwhile, are up 53% and 31%, respectively, outperforming the Bloomberg World Airlines Index. Year to date, both stocks are still down at least 50%. Gol this week said it operated an average of 270 flights per day in September, up from around 40 flights per day in April. Azul said it expects to operate at roughly 55% of pre-Covid capacity in October, putting it ahead of its original guidance that it would be at 40% by the end of the year. “Once again we continue to see an improvement in domestic passenger demand as we approach the strongest travel season in Brazil,” Azul’s CEO John Rodgerson said.<br/>
Cabin crew who have lost their jobs because of the collapse in aviation should retrain as carers and nurses, the work and pensions secretary has said. Therese Coffey said that the thousands of men and women who have been made redundant by BA, easyJet and other airlines should switch careers. “I want to encourage them to perhaps go into teaching or go to college and to be the people who train the next lot of people who are going to do those jobs,” she said. “How do we help draw out of them the transferable skills that they have, and that could be working in social care?” Coffey also backed the prime minister’s call for female cabin crew to retrain as nurses. “I’m sure other cabin crew as well who are male could make equally good nurses. It’s just whether or not people want that as a complete lifestyle change. It may not be their dream job for the rest of their lives. But it may well be very useful: they get more money coming in than if they’re on benefits and it can also provide something really valuable and rewarding.” A senior member of British Airways cabin crew who was made redundant recently said that retraining was not a viable option for many airline staff. “Many of us that were made redundant were of a later age with financial responsibilities, so therefore we’re unable to take unpaid time out to retrain,” she said.<br/>
The final figures are in for air passenger traffic in 2019 at the world's busiest airports. Unfortunately, the gutting of global air transportation by the coronavirus pandemic means that traffic levels are unlikely to rise to those levels again until 2024, according to Airports Council International, the airport trade association that compiles the data. The 2019 list of the world's busiest airports, released by ACI on Thursday, showed a 3.5% increase in passenger numbers -- coming in at more than 9.1b -- compared with 2018. For the first time, the report looks ahead at the drastic declines that came in the first half of 2020 as Covid-19 outbreaks decimated passenger traffic. Passenger numbers decreased by 58.4% worldwide in the first half of 2020, compared with the same period in 2019, with international passenger traffic hit the hardest, with a 64.5% drop. Atlanta and Beijing airports held the top two spots in 2019, with more than 110m and 100m passengers, respectively. But those airports saw passenger traffic drops of 56.6% and 73.6% in H1 2020. LAX moved up one spot in 2019 to become the third busiest airport for passenger traffic, with more than 88m passengers in 2019. Passenger traffic there dropped 58.9% in H1 2020. The airport industry is anticipating a 60% reduction in revenues compared to previous projections, according to ACI. The organization and its industry partners see reducing travel restrictions and quarantine requirements and a global approach to testing for the virus as keys to recovery. "We are positive about the future, but we need consistency and collaboration across the globe on key issues like testing," said ACI World Director General Luis Felipe de Oliveira. "The industry is united in the view that widespread testing of passengers before travel, as an alternative to quarantine restrictions, will be a crucial way to foster public confidence in air travel and must be introduced."<br/>